SF 49ers should target CB Rasul Douglas in NFL free agency

NFL free agency likely isn’t going to be kind to the SF 49ers this offseason. And while there are a number of positions on the Niners 2021 roster in line to be affected, few are going to be hit as hard as cornerback.

San Francisco is poised to lose corners Richard Sherman, Ahkello Witherspoon, Jason Verrett, K’Waun Williams and Dontae Johnson, among others, to the open market. Fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley is a restricted free agent. With just under $12 million in available cap space for 2021, the SF 49ers are going to be hard-pressed to retain even a couple of those aforementioned names.

The lack of cap space is also going to make things tough going after well-known, top-performing names on the free-agent market, which is fairly thin at the position anyway. Because of this, it wouldn’t hurt to explore some cheaper options.

One target the Niners can look closely at is Carolina Panthers corner Rasul Douglas, who’ll hit the open market after joining the Panthers off waivers from the team that originally drafted him back in 2017, the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rasul Douglas Defense & Fumbles Table
					Game	Game	Def	Def	Def	Def		Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack	Tack
Year	Age	Tm	Pos	No.	G	GS	Int	Yds	Lng	PD	Sk	Comb	Solo	Ast	TFL	QBHits
2017	23	PHI	rcb	32	14	5	2	7	7	11	0.0	25	23	2	0	0
2018	24	PHI	lcb	32	16	7	3	14	17	4	0.0	58	48	10	6	0
2019	25	PHI	rcb	32	16	6	0	0	0	10	0.0	35	24	11	3	1
2020	26	CAR	CB	24	14	11	0	0	0	9	0.0	62	50	12	1	0
Care	Care				60	29	5	21	17	34	0.0	180	145	35	10	1
3 yr	3 yr	PHI			46	18	5	21	17	25	0.0	118	95	23	9	1
1 yr	1 yr	CAR			14	11	0	0	0	9	0.0	62	50	12	1	0

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com
Generated 1/20/2021.

As Niners Nation’s Kyle Posey pointed out, Douglas’ on-field production hasn’t exactly shown up over his four years after being the Eagles’ third-round pick back in the 2017 NFL Draft. Those first two years were somewhat promising, but it’s important to remember Douglas wasn’t necessarily a solution for Philly’s secondary.

It’s not yet known if newly minted defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans will retain a similar defensive scheme as the one now-NY Jets head coach Robert Saleh implemented with long, lanky boundary corners. Verrett and Moseley, both under 6-foot-0, helped buck that trend the last two seasons.

But if Ryans is still prioritizing size, Douglas’ 6-foot-2, 209-pound frame is certainly worth a look.

Douglas might not have elite-level speed for a cornerback. However, putting him into zone-style schemes could be beneficial to his skill set. It’s also likely he could be signed on the cheap, helping reinforce the SF 49ers’ cornerback depth chart in 2021.

SF 49ers will need a veteran corner or two anyway

It seems highly likely the Niners will target at least one cornerback in the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft, perhaps even with their first-round pick at No. 12 overall.

Even if San Francisco grabs multiple corners in the draft, it’s important to acknowledge many young defensive backs struggle with the transition from the college ranks to the pros. Rare are those corners who immediately make a massive impact at the NFL level during their rookie seasons.

Because of this, adding a veteran corner like Douglas would help with the transition.

He wouldn’t have to be pegged as an immediate starter. But he could do the job if needed, and that’s important. Especially if the SF 49ers are forced to exercise patience with recently drafted defensive backs this offseason and throughout 2021. Douglas could act as that mentor for young corners, too, not unlike what Sherman provided during his three-year tenure.

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If the Niners are looking for some cornerback help on the cheap, they could do worse than go after Douglas.